Bad Hair Day
by Bluefish
Summary: Harry Potter, boy wizard, faces a typical teenager's problem. With a twist.


Author's Note: I would like to thank Celare, my beta-reader for this story. Although she was very busy, she still did a wonderful and thorough job on this one. I couldn't do it without her advice and help. For the readers, I hope you enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and all the canonical goodness in it.

**Bad Hair Day**

**by Bluefish**

In a fairly secluded boys' lavatory, Harry Potter stared at the reflection of his rebellious hair in the mirror. In his hands: a comb, a tube of gel, and his wand. The previous two had done nothing to keep the infamous black strands down, so he thought he would try magic.

The problem was, he knew nothing about appearance-enhancing magic. Hermione would certainly be able to help him, but asking her would be the last thing he did. No matter how desperate he was, hearing her never-ending lecture on hair magic just wasn't worth it. Besides, she was a girl. And she would be bound to ask unwanted questions.

Ron was also impossible. Firstly he would have never let Harry hear the end of it (God, Harry, has Lockhart finally converted you?). Secondly, his hair wasn't that great either.

Nope, they were both out.

He shook his head, disappointed.

_Why do I even bother? That...thing will keep on looking like a broom sticking out of my head._

He sighed.

The fleeting mental images of Cho Chang, all smiling with her great, sleek hair, made him utterly miserable.

Thirty-three hours to go until Valentine's Day.

They had awkwardly promised to meet at The Three Broomsticks Inn on that day, and Harry would very much like to look fine and dandy. But this hair of his wouldn't cooperate, and seemingly had acquired its own will over the years. No matter how many times Uncle Vernon and his barber friend had attempted to shave it all off, it had always grown back overnight. On rare occasions Harry had been able to keep it short and well cropped, but only by a powerful effort of will.All his life, he had never changed the way he looked. Sometimes he hated the way Muggle kids at his old school stared at his baggy clothes and weird, sellotaped glasses. But it didn't matter now because he had seen more peculiar people in the past five years than in the whole first eleven years of his life. In the world of magic, wizards, and witches, he was a normal-looking teen.

Though still not blessed with obedient hair.

Harry thought for a while of other people from whom he could get some tips, and came up with no names at all. In the end, he could choose to leave the hair alone, or maybe he could follow Hermione's advice: When in doubt, go to the library.

Harry rolled his eyes. Yeah, right. The school library was very likely to carry titles like _Hair Magic_ or _An_ _Easy Guide to Hair Transformation_. Those sounded like books only Gilderoy Lockhart would read.

_Maybe my hair just needs more vigorous combing, _he thought wistfully.

He combed his hair once again until his scalp hurt, and had almost given up when a sly, little voice suddenly said, _This _is_Hogwarts you know._

Harry's hand stopped in mid-air.

That's right! Here, at Hogwarts, you'd never know what you could find.

The Hogwarts Library, the centre of all wizarding information, had been a great resource for Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their adventures. The Forbidden Section had some books full of amazingly complex and dangerous alchemy formulas, whilst in one corner the Public Section carried volumes of cookbooks for the holidays (Muggle and wizard alike, in chronological order). The variety was endless.

The point was, that Harry won't be surprised if he found a book called _Magic Your Way to Fabulous Nose Hair._

Now with renewed determination, he hid the comb and the hair gel inside his robes, and made his way to the library. Harry just hoped nobody there would see him with a bunch of beauty books. He had seen the magazines Aunt Petunia liked to read. They were full of tips on how to curl up your eyelashes, or how to keep your pimples in check. He'd rather die than get caught with one of them.

Entering the library, he was not surprised to see it almost deserted. Virtually all students were not in the most studious of moods just two days before the Hogsmeade, visit and only the most responsible ones would be here. And that would have included Hermione, had Harry not seen her in the company of Parvati Patil down at the Common Room. The quiet space gave him more confidence to lurk around, browsing the shelves for certain books.

After minutes eyeing the rows of spines, he finally picked one. Trying not to attract Madam Pince's attention, Harry kept a straight face as he passed her table on his way to the Study Area.

The book was titled _Swish, Flick, and Roll: Hair Charms _by Daphila Spray. He sat down and turned over to the first page.

Eleven minutes and twenty seven seconds later Harry found what he wanted, an actual spell that looked feasible, a Tidy Hair Charm. He scribbled down the instructions on a piece of paper and put the book back on its shelf, risking Madam Pince's disapproval. She liked to re-shelve every book herself, all the hundreds of thousands of them.

Back in the still empty boys' bathroom, Harry took out his wand and the now wrinkled piece of paper. He read the instructions once again, and memorized them. Trying a new spell on yourself was a desperate, foolish thing to do. But it's now or never, he thought.

Harry took a deep breath, swished and flicked his wand hand while at the same time shouted the words.

_"Comerum Crinalis!"_

A burst of pink mist suddenly fogged his vision, and floral scents filled the air. This was to be expected from a charm spell. But, after quite a while, he began to worry. The fragrant smell wouldn't go away and there was now pink dust on the sink and on the floor. His glasses were also covered with it.

If he didn't clean this up, questions would start flying.

Harry blew the dust off his glasses and put them back on. Using damp towels he cleaned the sink and mopped the floor. The mirror was also covered with a thin layer of pink dust, so he wiped that as well.

And looked at his reflection in the mirror.

Harry froze.

The boy looking back at him didn't look like the old Harry Potter at all. He couldn't take his eyes off the shiny, neatly swept-back hair. Not one single strand was straying. This kind of effect on his hair could only be achieved with improper use of hair gel in an irresponsible amount, but he had done it with a charm spell. It looked exactly as he wanted his hair to be. Except for two small things.

It was pink.

And it smelled of roses.

Harry wanted to die.

He thought he looked worse than a troll with golden ringlets. The _thing_ on top of his head resembled a cheap wig he had once seen an actress wearing in a TV show. He couldn't show up to meet up with Cho looking like this.

Of all colors, pink!

He would be the laughingstock of the school.

Almost moaning at his bad luck, Harry searched his brain for a counter spell. He had until dinner to fix his hair, otherwise Ron and Hermione would be suspicious. Now he wished he had paid more attention in Professor Flitwick's classes.

Harry supposed he could try the Reparo spell, although he wasn't quite sure which part of his hair was damaged. His pride, on the other hand, was definitely in need of urgent care. He looked beyond help. Closing his eyes, Harry pointed the wand at his hair, and gave it his best.

"_Reparo_!"

He waited a while before opening his eyes, only to see the reflection of a boy with a ghastly pink mass on top of his head staring back at him. It didn't work. He still looked like he had just stepped out of Aunt Marge's favorite beauty salon.

Harry was certain that all the spells he had learned would not work on his hair. It left him with only one way of getting out this humiliating situation. He had to search for the counter spell in the darn book.

And that meant going back to the library.

Showing off his glorious new hairdo to the world.

Harry groaned.

He supposed he could minimize the embarrassment if he was careful enough. The library was practically empty, and Madam Pince cared only for her lovely books. She would not even give a glance if Harry suddenly sprouted wings and tails, as long as he didn't scratch or stain her books. No danger there, but what about the hallways?

Harry peeked through the bathroom door, and saw no one walking in the corridor. This boys' lavatory was located in the same level with the library, and just as deserted, so if he dashed madly until he reached sanctuary, everything would be fine.

Perfect.

Now, what was he going to do with the hair? Harry thought of several spells, and decided that Bubble Head Charm might work. It would wrap his head in a bubble filled with breathable air, and Harry could always say that his pink hair was the effect of the charm, if asked, and save himself from further explaining. Besides, how many students had seen it performed, anyway?

Feeling confident, Harry quickly performed the charm. He felt no difference, but once the bubble had surrounded his head, Harry realized that his vision was a bit altered. It felt like he was looking at the world through a soap bubble; rainbow colors were everywhere. If he weren't so deep in trouble, Harry would have appreciated the effect.

One foot stepping out of the bathroom, he craned his neck to observe the perimeter. No one's here, he thought. _Here goes!_

Harry sprinted his way to the library. The corridors were mostly abandoned and Harry almost felt relieved. One more left turn and he would arrive at the library. But suddenly he heard voices from that hallway. They sounded like several people talking. Oh, no!

To make matter worse, he recognized Malfoy's voice among them. And Crabbe's, and Goyle's. Harry was mortified. He could not imagine what Malfoy would do if he found out about his pink hair. Harry wished he knew how to instantly scalp his hair off.

He reacted quickly. Hiding at one crook of the wall, he could hear them approaching. It seemed like they were going to the opposite direction of the library, and inevitably Harry would have to cross paths with them. Even if he waited until they had passed his hiding place, there was still a chance that they would notice him. So he needed to lure them into this corridor, whilst he sneaked behind them when they were farther away. He would be in their blind spots, then.

But how? How should he do it?

Harry reached for his wand, and remembered that he had some old toffees hidden inside his robes. An idea came to him. He took the toffees out and counted. Four of them.

"_Engorgio_," he whispered to the sweets on his palm. They grew bigger and bigger, until they reached the size of a muffin. Harry needed them for distractions, and, knowing Crabbe and Goyle, they would spot the toffees. Now, for the final touch.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" Harry commanded and the enlarged toffees started to levitate and hover in mid-air. He directed them with his wand and they stayed in the middle of the hallway, waiting for the two boys to see and grab them.

Meanwhile, Harry stayed hidden, his heart beating wildly. Just as he had expected, when the group passed the corridor where he was hiding, Goyle spotted the giant toffees and nudged Crabbe. They both made their move to the sweets, followed by the rest of their friends. Even Malfoy couldn't hide his interest. He grabbed one of the toffees and unwrapped it immediately. Their backs were now facing the spot where Harry was hiding.

Slowly, not wanting to make any sound, Harry tip-toed out of his hiding place and turned left at the corner.

When they were completely out of his sight, Harry grinned. His plan had worked! Those boys didn't even suspect anything! Who would have thought that Malfoy had a weakness for sweets?

The library was ahead of him, and Harry ran towards it. There was no time to lose because dinner would be served soon. Entering the library, he saw a lonely Madam Pince reading at her usual desk. Again, he put on his best innocent look and marched in front of her to the shelf where he left the spell book. The stern librarian didn't even lift her head up.

When he found the book, Harry immediately searched for the counter spell. Next to the page where he found the Tidy Hair Charm, Harry discovered the restoring spell. He blamed himself for not noticing it the first time. Again, Harry scribbled down the instructions and returned the book.

He did not want to go back to the boys' bathroom, so Harry decided to do the spell in the library. He just hoped that Madam Pince would not have his neck for what he was about to commit.

Harry found a place near the clear windows in the Study Area (completely forsaken just before dinner) where he could safely do magic without Madam Pince knowing. He broke the air bubble and felt a whoosh of wind. He was now breathing the usual air again.

The instructions were a bit harder than the first ones, and Harry doubted whether he could do it right in one try. He positioned his wand, closed both eyes, and readied himself.

"_Remissio Crinalis!_"

Still closing his eyes, Harry felt the magic work, ruffling his hair very quickly and leaving a chilly sensation afterwards. Opening only one eye, Harry peeked and sniffed. There was no dust, no smell, or anything. Had he done it incorrectly?

Harry nervously went to the clear windows to see his reflection. And let out a breath of relief.

His hair was back to normal. All messy and unkempt, but Harry didn't mind at all. It was black! He thought his hair had never looked better. Excited, he ran his fingers through his mane of hair. It really went back to normal!

He whooped in joy, and decided that he had learned his lesson. He would never again use new magic for this kind of purpose. No more. He wouldn't care about how he looked any more. Besides, Cho didn't seem to mind him looking like his normal self.

Hungry after all the excitement, he raced for the dining room. Everybody was there already. He sat between Ron and Hermione, and helped himself to a huge serving of roast beef, mashed potato, and a ham sandwich.

"Er- hungry, Harry?" enquired Ron, watching him eat.

"I'm starving," Harry answered, whilst wolfing down his food.

Disgusted, Ron shook his head.

Hermione turned her head to the Slytherin's table, and said, "Funny, I don't see Crabbe and Goyle in their table. Or Malfoy."

"Why do we have to care? I bet they have detention for being ugly and stupid," Ron said, taking another helping of mashed potato.

"Or stomachache," Harry muttered, "Those toffees had been in my robes for months."

"Huh? Did you say something, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No, pass me that pudding, please."

She gave him a strange look, and passed him the rice pudding.

_If they only knew_, the sly, little voice said.

Harry could only grin. He grabbed another slice of roast beef and ate it. Maybe he should tell Ron and Hermione about what he did earlier that day, and they could laugh together.

Of course, he wouldn't mention his pink hairdo. That part would be his own little, well-kept secret.

It's now thirty-one hours until Valentine's Day.

The End


End file.
